Combination knit garment



No. s|4,290.

L Patented Nov. l5, I898. S. COND E. COMBINATION KNIT GARMENT.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1898.)

2 Sheets8h eet I.

No Model.)

WITNESSES "m: NORRIS vzrzns co. PHOTO-LITHD, WASNINGTON. o. c

N0. 6I4,290. Patented Nov. l5, I898.

s. comm.

COMBINATION KNIT GARMENT.

(Application filed Jan. 29, 1898.) (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

ITNESSES: If f /NVfgVTOZg 1 I Q. a

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TNF NORRIS PETERS co, PHOTD-UTNQ, WASHINGTON, n c.

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SWITS CONDF, or OSWEGO, NEW YORK.

COMBINATION KNIT GARMENT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,290, dated November 15, 1898. Application filed January 29, 1898. Serial No. 663,383. (No model.)

.To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SWITs OONDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Oswego, in the county of Oswego and State of New York,

have invented a new and useful Improvement away to a large extent with seams and buttons.

Within the past few years the combination knit suit has come largely into use and is of two general types. One has the opening extending from top to bottom of the body portion in front, the two sides buttoning together. The other opens horizontally across the breast near the shoulders, flaps integral with the back being drawn over the shoulders and buttoned to the upper margin of the breast portion. Both of these types have certain decided disadvantages. In the first the vertical stays are inelastic, the buttons are uncomfortable, particularly under the corset, and when the garment shrinks it tightens on the body, draws on the buttons, and gapes between them. In the second there are still a certain number of objectionable buttons, and as the garment is put on by spreading the top opening and drawing it up over the legs and body the whole upper portion of the garment, including the waist, is stretched over the hips, the largest part of the person, and soon losing its elasticity the garment becomes shapeless, like a bag. As the top of the garment, including the margin across the breast, is stretched and as the flaps, which hang slack behind when the garment is being put on, are not stretched, after a while the buttons on the breast margin and the buttonholes in theflaps do not register, it is inconvenient to button, and oftentimes the front is so stretched that after the first button of the flap is socured one button and a bunch of cloth are found forced around under the arm. My garment overcomes all these disadvantages, is easily put on without strain on any part of the garment, adapts itself to various sizes and shapes, fits smoothly and snugly, completely covers the various parts of the person, and is practically a seamless garment. Whatever shrinkage takes place is distributed throughout the garment and does noteffect its use unless extreme and causes no strain on the buttons or any part, one button only being used.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same numerals of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

Figure I is a front elevation of my garment,

showing its position when on the wearer. Fig. II is a plan of the two halves of the garment laid fiat after thesewing of the first seam. Fig. III is a horizontal cross-section above the straps on line III III of Fig. I, showing the position of the parts when on the person. Fig. IV is a front view of a portion of the front of the garment, portions being broken away.

The main portion of the garment is composed of the two halves 1 and 2, which are cut from a knit web, as one and one rib, with the greatest elasticity in the horizontaldirection. same pattern as that of half 1, from which is cut away the back portion 3 on line 5, leaving half 2. This having been done, the two halves are stitched together on the seam 5, near the waist, as shown in Fig. II, each being formed with leg portions 6 6, front body portions 7 7, widening toward the waist into front flaps 8 8 and narrowing to the shoulder portions 9 9, there being out between the front body portions 7 7 and the back 3 the armholecuts 10 10 and the shaping-cuts 11 11 to shape the garment to the waist. On the new and peculiar form of these halves depends the success of the garment, and it must be no"- ticed that the front portions are formed with the rather long gradual curves 12 down to about the point 13, by which the garment fits smoothly across the front of the person, and below with the rather more abrupt curve 14 to fit hips, thighs, and legs. Each half is provided with the integral rear flap 15, which overlaps to fully cover the person.

The two halves, having been cut and sewed Both halves are originally cut in the together with the single seam 5, as shown in Fig. II, arefolded over each on itself along the axial line 16. The outer edges 17 17 of the leg portions are then sewed to the respective inner edges 18 18, forming the seams 19 19, the top edges 20 20 of the front body portions to the corresponding portion of the upper edge 21 of the rear body portion, forming the shoulder-seams 22 22, and the edges 23 23 of the shaping-cuts 11 11 to each other, with the exception of the width of the small flap 24, which is not sewed, leaving a narrow opening 25 on one side of the garment near the waist, (the right as here shown,) for the purpose hereinafter described. The sleeves 26 26 are then sewed into the sleeve-holes 1O 10, and the front of the garment is finished by a double binding 27, secured continuously along the edge of both front flaps around the neck down to about the waist. This binding is peculiarly made of a flat knit web arranged to be slightly elastic longitudinally, but less so than the main portions of the garment itself, and with very little elasticity in width. It is doubled and sewed within and without to the margin of the garment, as shown in Figs. I and III, and is of importance not only for finishing the front flaps, but for reinforcing them, holding them in place, and afiording a firm edge on which the bands will draw outwardly and somewhat downwardly to draw the front smoothly across the body of the wearer. At about the waist or widest portion of each front flap is attached and sewed securelyto the edge of the flap or to the binding a strap 28, preferably made double, of fiat knit web, slightly elastic longitudinally, like the binding, and of little or no elasticity in width. In the end of each strap are formed two or three but-tonholes 29 29 for adjustability. When the garment is put on, these straps are passed around the body, the one underneath (the right as here shown) being drawn out through the ogening 25, and the two are buttoned to the single button 30, secured to the back of the garment a little below the waist,

(by which it avoids the corset-,) as shown in.

Fig. I. It is preferable to arrange this button slightly below the waist-line, that the straps passing around the body above the hips and down behind will exert an outward and slightly downward pull on the front; but, if desired, this button may be attached to the end of one strap and not to the garment, or the straps may be secured together by buckle or safety-pin.

The small flap 24 is adapted to cover on the inside the opening 25, which sometimes gapes. (Best shown in Fig. IV.) A tape 31 is run through the neck portion of the binding, holes (not shown) being made on the inside of the binding about where the fronts cross. Where the bust is full, the front may gape, and this tape is useful to draw together the two sides, but usually it is not used and is left hanging down inside the garment, as shown in Fig. I, the front flaps lying smoothly in place without it. I have here shown my invention embodied in a garment for female use, but it is as well adapted for men, in which case the number of seams maybe still further reduced by omitting the shaping-cuts 11 11 and the seams of the edges 23 23.

By forming my new garment, as herein described, of the two halves of peculiar pattern, both made with integral front and rear flaps and difiering only in that the back piece integral with one is cut away from the other, and securing it on the person by the straps I have produced a garment fitting the person smoothly and snugly and held securely in place without discomfort, draw, or strain. There is no undue fullness about the waist, which occurred in former garments, particularly where the wearer was small-waisted. The straps exert a tension on the flaps, drawing them slightly downward as well as outward, the tension being transmitted upwardly and toward the other side through the medium of the binding. This tension is constant, holding the whole flap and the whole body portion smooth and fiat, but yielding to the motion of the wearer. The straps should be made of knit web, as specified, having a certain limited elasticity and adapting themselves to the form of the waist and hips. Sateen or other rigid material would not be suitable for the straps. By the front and rear flaps the wearer is well protected without undue bulk.

My garment adapts itself readily to wearers of different shapes and proportions, and also to difierent sizes, so that fewer different sizes must be made and kept in stock.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protect by Letters Patent, is-

1. A combination knit garment formed of two similar pieces cut by the same pattern and each provided with integral front and rear flaps, both of said pieces being formed with integral back portions which are joined on or about the waist-line, one of said pieces having the upper part of its integral back portion cut away from the other piece on or about the waist-line, in combination with straps sewed to the said front flaps, and passing around the body and adapted to be socured together behind.

2. A combination knit undergarment composed of two separate pieces one of said pieces being provided with a widened portion to form an integral back, and the other cut away to receive said back, said pieces being sewed to form the garment by a single horizontal waist-seam, seams on the inner side of the leg, top seams at the shoulders, and scams for the armholes down to about the waist; said pieces being provided with integral rear flaps, integral front flaps extending across the chest with slight outward curves down to the waist, a double binding secured to the front margin of said flaps extending continuously from about the waist-line of each up to and around the neck portion, and straps senesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Ononcured to said flaps at about the lower end of daga, in the State of New York, this 27th day said binding and extending around to the of January, 1898.

back of the garment Where they are secured SWITS OONDE. 5 together and to the garment. Witnesses:

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my ALFRED WVILKINSON, hand, in the presence of two attestingwit- L. F. WEISBURG. 

